Will It Be Forever
Part Seventeen- Do The Only Thing You Can Do
“Just let him cool off girl.”
AJ shook her head and looked at the ground. Michelle had already left but Gena, Lacey and Leana stuck around. She looked at them and she let some more tears fall. She ran a hand through her hair for a moment and let out a small sigh. “Why does she hate me?” She asked. Leana shook her head and scratched her temple.
“I don’t think she actually hates you,” she told her. AJ raised an eyebrow. Then what the hell was it? She frowned at her for a moment and bit her lower lip. “Val was her sister… She’s protective over Matt.”
“Over protective if you ask me,” Gena said, shaking her head. AJ swallowed hard and got up.
“The bar’s closed tomorrow…” She said. “I’ll clean it all up then. I just want to go home.” A good nights rest might help… Ah, who was she kidding? It wasn’t going to help at all. She’d be surprised even if she could get a good sleep because she knew that she would be thinking about Matt all night.
“Well we’ll come help,” Leana offered. AJ shook her head and declined her offer. She couldn’t accept. “Why not?” she asked.
“It’ll give me something to do,” she said with a small smile. It would allow her to get her mind off of things. “Good night guys.” Their looks of sympathy had been killing her in the inside. She didn’t want sympathy. She wanted things to be better again. She had just wanted him to be happy.
---
Matt hadn’t talked to AJ in days but that didn’t mean he hadn’t been thinking about her. He had been hurt by the fact that his friends would do that to him… That she would do that to him. He flipped through the channels on the TV but nothing seemed interesting. He couldn’t focus. He brought up a hand and rubbed his forehead for a moment and heard a familiar laugh.
His eyebrows furrowed together. He hadn’t heard that laugh in a long time. In fact… He hadn’t heard her voice… “You were fine without me,” Val told him. He shook his head and leaned back into the couch, grabbing a pillow and putting on his face as he screamed into it. He tossed the pillow to the side and rubbed his forehead.
“I’m not so sure about that,” he told her. Hell, he wasn’t sure about a lot of things anymore. He didn’t like the feeling. It reminded him about how things were two years ago after Val first died.
“You’re still thinking about that?” Of course he was! Was she kidding? Matt let out a small huff and rubbed the back of his neck. He had been having the same dream over and over again the past week and he was beginning to wonder if she had something to do with it.
He would see Val in the beginning, walking along the beach and she’d be talking to him… Only he couldn’t hear what she was saying. She would laugh and smile as the moonlight shone down on her brilliant blonde hair. Her eyes would sparkle with each laughter and it killed him because he’d reach out for her only for her to disappear. It was like reliving his pain all over again in his dreams. It wasn’t until AJ showed up in the dreams that the pain went away. Just like it had in real life… Only she stayed in the dreams… She was gone in real life. “Why?” He asked out loud and looked up at the ceiling.
“She made you happy Matt and you know it…” He wasn’t saying a thing. “She hasn’t done anything really wrong. Can’t you forgive her?”
“Why should I?” He asked. “Give me a reason. Show me a sign Val.” That’s when his doorbell rang. He froze in his seat for a moment and his heartbeat picked up for just a moment. “You’ve got to be shitting me.” He stood up and went to see who it was only to find that it was Michelle. He opened the door to face her as he raised a small eyebrow. “What is it Michi?” He asked.
She gave him a small smile. “I’ve been dreaming about Val since that night at AJ’s bar,” she told him. “She’s mad at me.” She ran a hand through her hair and let out a sigh. Matt watched her shoulder’s slump. “I’ve been a real bitch. I wasn’t exactly nice to AJ.”
“You weren’t nice at all.”
“Ok. I wasn’t nice at all,” she said and held her hands up in defense. “But,” she continued, “I was just trying to keep you from getting hurt. I thought in a way… I owed Val that much.” She swallowed hard. “Brian only wanted to help. You know you’re like his brother…” She sighed and gave him a small smile. “I fucked up. Brian fucked up… and I wanted to say sorry.”
“It’s too late for that now, don’t you think?” He asked. Michelle crossed her arms in front of her and Matt narrowed his eyes. “Did Brian put you up to this?” He asked. Michelle’s features faltered for a moment.
“Yes.”
“I knew it,” he said and let out a small scoff before going to close the door. Michelle stepped in the way and shook her head.
“But I meant every word,” she told him. He didn’t think that she had looked more serious in her life. “I know Val wants you to be happy. Or would want you to be happy. It’s like I’ve been hearing her voice in my head the past couple of days…” Matt let out a small laugh.
“Try hearing it for the past two years.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” Matt said and shook his head. He let out a small groan and looked to the ground. He didn’t know what the hell to do. He had never been in this type of situation before. He bit hit lower lip for a moment, feeling the coolness of the metal ring in his lower lip before looking up.
“Do the only thing you can do,” he heard Val’s voice.
“Brian I know you’re there,” he started and then watched his friend step out from the side of the house, smiling sheepishly at him. Matt shook his head. “Bastard,” he told him.
“You love me,” he said with a small raised eyebrow. Matt let out an exaggerated sigh.
“Yeah yeah… You two want to come in?” Brian and Michelle exchanged glances for a moment and he wondered if something was going on. “What?” He asked them.
“There’s one more thing,” Michelle told him.
“Dude… She didn’t want the money. She felt guilty about the whole thing the whole time. Leana swears that AJ’s in love with you man. We’ve haven’t seen you so happy in a long time… Go talk to her.” Matt hesitated for a moment and scratched his temple. Was it that easy?
AJ shook her head and looked at the ground. Michelle had already left but Gena, Lacey and Leana stuck around. She looked at them and she let some more tears fall. She ran a hand through her hair for a moment and let out a small sigh. “Why does she hate me?” She asked. Leana shook her head and scratched her temple.
“I don’t think she actually hates you,” she told her. AJ raised an eyebrow. Then what the hell was it? She frowned at her for a moment and bit her lower lip. “Val was her sister… She’s protective over Matt.”
“Over protective if you ask me,” Gena said, shaking her head. AJ swallowed hard and got up.
“The bar’s closed tomorrow…” She said. “I’ll clean it all up then. I just want to go home.” A good nights rest might help… Ah, who was she kidding? It wasn’t going to help at all. She’d be surprised even if she could get a good sleep because she knew that she would be thinking about Matt all night.
“Well we’ll come help,” Leana offered. AJ shook her head and declined her offer. She couldn’t accept. “Why not?” she asked.
“It’ll give me something to do,” she said with a small smile. It would allow her to get her mind off of things. “Good night guys.” Their looks of sympathy had been killing her in the inside. She didn’t want sympathy. She wanted things to be better again. She had just wanted him to be happy.
---
Matt hadn’t talked to AJ in days but that didn’t mean he hadn’t been thinking about her. He had been hurt by the fact that his friends would do that to him… That she would do that to him. He flipped through the channels on the TV but nothing seemed interesting. He couldn’t focus. He brought up a hand and rubbed his forehead for a moment and heard a familiar laugh.
His eyebrows furrowed together. He hadn’t heard that laugh in a long time. In fact… He hadn’t heard her voice… “You were fine without me,” Val told him. He shook his head and leaned back into the couch, grabbing a pillow and putting on his face as he screamed into it. He tossed the pillow to the side and rubbed his forehead.
“I’m not so sure about that,” he told her. Hell, he wasn’t sure about a lot of things anymore. He didn’t like the feeling. It reminded him about how things were two years ago after Val first died.
“You’re still thinking about that?” Of course he was! Was she kidding? Matt let out a small huff and rubbed the back of his neck. He had been having the same dream over and over again the past week and he was beginning to wonder if she had something to do with it.
He would see Val in the beginning, walking along the beach and she’d be talking to him… Only he couldn’t hear what she was saying. She would laugh and smile as the moonlight shone down on her brilliant blonde hair. Her eyes would sparkle with each laughter and it killed him because he’d reach out for her only for her to disappear. It was like reliving his pain all over again in his dreams. It wasn’t until AJ showed up in the dreams that the pain went away. Just like it had in real life… Only she stayed in the dreams… She was gone in real life. “Why?” He asked out loud and looked up at the ceiling.
“She made you happy Matt and you know it…” He wasn’t saying a thing. “She hasn’t done anything really wrong. Can’t you forgive her?”
“Why should I?” He asked. “Give me a reason. Show me a sign Val.” That’s when his doorbell rang. He froze in his seat for a moment and his heartbeat picked up for just a moment. “You’ve got to be shitting me.” He stood up and went to see who it was only to find that it was Michelle. He opened the door to face her as he raised a small eyebrow. “What is it Michi?” He asked.
She gave him a small smile. “I’ve been dreaming about Val since that night at AJ’s bar,” she told him. “She’s mad at me.” She ran a hand through her hair and let out a sigh. Matt watched her shoulder’s slump. “I’ve been a real bitch. I wasn’t exactly nice to AJ.”
“You weren’t nice at all.”
“Ok. I wasn’t nice at all,” she said and held her hands up in defense. “But,” she continued, “I was just trying to keep you from getting hurt. I thought in a way… I owed Val that much.” She swallowed hard. “Brian only wanted to help. You know you’re like his brother…” She sighed and gave him a small smile. “I fucked up. Brian fucked up… and I wanted to say sorry.”
“It’s too late for that now, don’t you think?” He asked. Michelle crossed her arms in front of her and Matt narrowed his eyes. “Did Brian put you up to this?” He asked. Michelle’s features faltered for a moment.
“Yes.”
“I knew it,” he said and let out a small scoff before going to close the door. Michelle stepped in the way and shook her head.
“But I meant every word,” she told him. He didn’t think that she had looked more serious in her life. “I know Val wants you to be happy. Or would want you to be happy. It’s like I’ve been hearing her voice in my head the past couple of days…” Matt let out a small laugh.
“Try hearing it for the past two years.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” Matt said and shook his head. He let out a small groan and looked to the ground. He didn’t know what the hell to do. He had never been in this type of situation before. He bit hit lower lip for a moment, feeling the coolness of the metal ring in his lower lip before looking up.
“Do the only thing you can do,” he heard Val’s voice.
“Brian I know you’re there,” he started and then watched his friend step out from the side of the house, smiling sheepishly at him. Matt shook his head. “Bastard,” he told him.
“You love me,” he said with a small raised eyebrow. Matt let out an exaggerated sigh.
“Yeah yeah… You two want to come in?” Brian and Michelle exchanged glances for a moment and he wondered if something was going on. “What?” He asked them.
“There’s one more thing,” Michelle told him.
“Dude… She didn’t want the money. She felt guilty about the whole thing the whole time. Leana swears that AJ’s in love with you man. We’ve haven’t seen you so happy in a long time… Go talk to her.” Matt hesitated for a moment and scratched his temple. Was it that easy?